Flowers are emotional things. Their beauty evokes deep feelings inside of us. Flowers bring back memorable events such as weddings, anniversaries and funerals. Flowers remind us of springtime and the world bursting with life after a harsh, bleak winter.
According to a study done at Rutgers University, psychologists discovered that no matter the gender, flowers are mood elevators. They heighten our satisfaction with life around us and positively affect our behaviors.
Did you know the color of flowers and the a various design of flowers can stir different emotions as well? This article will help you discover how flowers can change your home. Once you see how, you can then create the perfect mood in each room.
COLORS –
Psychologists have studied the effect of color on our emotions. Artists know how to use color to set the tone in their paintings. Advertisers know what colors pop off the grocery shelves, subconsciously influencing you decision as to what product to choose. Ancient cultures like the Chinese and the Egyptians used colors to heal–a practice called chromotherapy.
In your home, you may wish to set a different mood in each room. You may want a relaxed mood in your den, a calming mood in the bathroom, an energetic mood in your home office to prod you to work, and then a sensual one in the boudoir.
Yellow – can make people feel energized, and perhaps antsy.
A pastel blue – is one of the most a calming colors, yet a darker blue may be depressing.
Bright red – can flare emotions and passion. It is a powerful color.
Soft greens – are also calming and produce serenity.
White – evokes a sense of cleanliness and purity.
Orange – can increase your energy levels and appetite.
Pinks – combine passion (red) with purity (white), so it evokes love and romance.
Purple – is not common in nature, so it is associated with being more exotic. In the ancient world, red and blue dyes combined were expensive, so only the rich and royals could afford it.
Brown can evoke a strength, endurance and reliability. But a dark brown may depress you.
Black produces a feeling of shadows and uneasiness. Black means evil or death. Because it absorbs light, it sucks the energy from a room. But, used sparingly and it can make another color pop or draw the eye to it.
USING FLOWERS TO PRODUCE A MOOD
Flowers are a natural way to bring the right color and mood to a room. Their natural curves, which pick up shadows and light, intrigue the eye. Roses, water lilies and irises always produce strong feelings. But so do others.
Roses are associated with love and romance, security and fidelity. They are classic. Roses were often used in Victorian designs in fabrics and wallpapers as well as prints and paintings. Creams, pinks and pastels produce a sense of old world style and femininity.
Irises are exotic in their design. They are in shades of blues and purples, evoking richness and rarity. White irises are the rarest because eventually they will be absorbed by the blue and purplish ones in the garden. Irises come from bulbs which bloom just briefly in the spring, so they give people a sense of renewal and freshness, hope in the future and peace that all is well.
Water lilies are calming. They float in soft ripples of water. Water itself can be mood provoking. Calm and softly flowing water produces a serene feeling. Seeing a flower floating in water can produce the same emotion.
Orchids are exotic because they are tropical. They are also wispy and free flowing, so they appear more oriental, artistic and modern.
Daisies – are white with yellow centers. Other flowers mimic daisies with fanning out petals and yellow centers like purple or blue asters. They provoke feelings of childhood, whimsy and cheeriness, and a sense of contentment.
Mums – no matter their color have round, closed petals and provide a sense of formality and control as well as tradition and eternal truth. They are often used on old fashioned floral designs.
Tulips – like Iris are spring bulbs but in cheery, bright colors. They evoke happiness, youthfulness and yet a sense of tradition.
Violets and Lavender – are purple- the special, royal color. They are old fashion, feminine, and produce a feeling of motherly faithfulness.
Lilies – are strongly fragrant, which is why they were traditionally used at funerals before embalming was popular. They capture your sensual attention.
Carnations – are a common flower year round. The provoke a sense of stability and remembrance.
Daffodils – are sunny yellow so they bring forth joy. They also, according to experts, bring feelings of chivalry, reliability and manners.
Geraniums – are a comfort plant, which may be the reason they are hung in baskets on front porches. They are welcoming, even if red, because they span out of lush greenery.
HOW TO USE FLOWERS IN YOUR HOME
If you cannot afford cut flowers every few days, don’t worry. There are many ways to incorporate flowers into your home.
You can use silk arrangements.
Pick a container that matches the decor. Glass is very modern, especially clear glass. Porcelain is more traditional and formal. Pottery is casual and outdoorsy. Brass and metal are formal but also more masculine.
Arrangement – modern arrangements are all tightly clumped flowers like mums, roses or carnations and no leaves. Many times they are all one color with a pop of a bright color off center to add visual interest. Another modern and more oriental is the wispy, branchy look, often tall. This can be very dramatic. Traditional arrangements in vases in group of odd numbers is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and evokes a sense of calm stability.
Modern technology has developed so much sometimes you have to sniff or touch to see if they are real or fake. Still, silk arrangements can get dusty and fade over time. Plus, they can be pricey.
Fabrics and wall papers are traditional ways to being in flowers. But, that can quickly become tiresome, busy, too old fashion or too frilly for many modern tastes.
Why not try pictures? Paintings and photography are a great way to bring flowers into a room. Use color photography to add a pop of color which can be repeated in a throw, decorative vase or pillow. Black and white photography makes flowers an interesting attraction to any room because it emphasizes their shapes.
If you want to evoke positive emotions but don’t want a frilly, flowery look through fabrics or wallpaper, a framed grouping of photography maybe just the thing you need to bring any room in your home to life and set the mood.
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